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H^New York asks for not one cent of monied aid. 



THE 



WORLD'S FAIR OF 1876. 



PRACTICAL REASONS 

WHY 



PHILADELPHIA IS INCOMPETENT 



AND 



NEW YORK COMPETENT 



TO MAKE THE EXHIBITION A GRAND SUCCESS. 



WASHINGTON: 

M'GILL A. WITHEROW, PRINTERS AND STEREOTYPERS. 
1871. 

\ 

T T7T7 ,. , 



V 



PLAIN FACTS. 



The selection of a World's Fair Site should be governed 
by Practical, not Sentimental Reasons. 

All the Practical Reasons point unerringly to New York 
as the proper site. 



Financial Success of the Proposed International Exhibi- 
tion depends upon American Visitors mainly. Their com- 
fort, convenience, and outlay should have weight on the 
question of locality. 

New York, with some 2,200,000 inhabitants within a radius 
of 40 miles, contains within itself the elements of a financial 
success. 

Philadelphia and its environs cannot count more than 
700,000 souls. 

Here, alone, are more than 3 financial reasons for New York 
to 1 for Philadelphia. 

Enlarge the circle and these reasons multiply. 



Philadelphia is a City of neat little two and three-story 
brick homes. 

New York is a City of lofty Palaces. 

The one would be "swamped" by the rush of millions of 
visitors and exhibitors; the other can easily accommodate 
them all — with room to spare. 



The Hotels and Boarding Houses of New York, to those 
of Philadelphia, are more than 10 to 1. So much for Comfort 
of Visitors and Exhibitors. 

New York is much nearer to the Hives of both Domestic 
and Foreign Industry than Philadelphia. So much for Con- 
venience. 

As the great Centre of our Industrial Population, and the 
focus of Imports and Immigration, expense of exhibiting 
and visiting New York will be far less than Philadelphia. 
So much for Economy. 



All the great Railroad Systems of our own country, and 
all the great Systems of Foreign Trade and Intercommuni- 
cation converge at New York. 

Sailing Vessels to and from New York and Foreign parts, 
compared with such reaching and leaving Philadelphia, are 
more than 20 to 1. 

All the Foreign-hound Steamship lines — comprising 107 
large Steamships — have New York as their American Ter- 
minus, and every secular day of the year witnesses the aver- 
age arrival of two of these Leviathans, and the departure of 
as many. 

Philadelphia has no such Steamships going and coming 
from abroad. 



A World's Fair in Philadelphia would necessitate a double 
handling of GOODS from Foreign Parts, and consequent de- 
lays, added expenses, trouble, and damage. 

Many costly and delicately beautiful articles, fragile and 
perishable, would not be sent to Philadelphia, that would 
otherwise be sent to New York. 



Foreign Countries, in holding "World's Fairs, selected sites 
in their greatest cities — witness London, Paris, and others — 
for practical reasons, precisely similar to such as point to 
New York. 

Shall we be the first to announce to other Nations a World's 
Fair in a city of the second rank? 



Philadelphia has no long-experienced Industrial Exhibi- 
tion Managers. 

New York has many. 

The American Institute has an experience of 39 National 
(and 1 International Industrial) Exhibitions, to enable its 
managers to make the proposed World's Fair a success. 

Past success is the best guarantee for future triumph. 

Success will be National Glory; failure, National Disgrace. 



New York asks no monied aid from the Nation, in mileage 
or otherwise. 



The American Institute, at the National Fair of 1867, by 



the mouth of Horace Greeley, pledged itself to hold a World's 
Fair at New York in 1876, in an Industrial Palace to cost not 
less than $1,000,000— perhaps $2,000,000. 

The Nation, through its Press, applauded the resolution 
and ratified the Pledge. 

The American Institute, ever since 1867, has been prepar- 
ing for it, and is now ready with a large portion of the 
money, while its numerous wealthy members are willing and 
ready to guarantee the balance. 



New York originated the idea of a World's Fair for 1876 
two years before Philadelphia dreamed of it. 

Hon. Dudley Gregory, Vice President of the American 
Institute, conceived it in 1866; Hon. Horace Greeley, Presi- 
dent American Institute, announced it in a Public Address, 
1867; and Hon. Orestes Cleveland, a Member of Congress 
and of the Institute, brought it to the attention of Congress 
early in 1869. (See Trans. Am. Inst, for 1867, and Cong. 
Globe, 1869.) 

Philadelphia's first thought of it was in 1868 ; a Cincinnati 
paper mentioned it in 1869; and in 1870 Pennsylvania me- 
morialized Congress. (See Speech Hon. D. J. Morrell in 
Ho. of Reps. Dec. 14, 1870, Cong. Globe.) 

Thus Philadelphia "originated" the idea a year after it 
had been publicly announced and two years after it had been 
first conceived in New York. 



New York is the most advanced as well as the most thor- 
ough type of our whole country — being largely Cosmopoli- 
tan in element, yet thoroughly American. 



New York, with its surroundings, embraces more of what 
our Government desires Visitors to see than any other City 
of the Union. 

Our greatness in peace, our power, our wealth, our indus- 
try, our ingenuity, our taste, appear there to best advantage. 

Visitors, from Inland as well as Abroad, to West Point 
and the Forts and Arsenals and Nav}' Yard and Dock Yards 
about New York may there gather wholesome lessons touch- 
ing our War Strength on Land and Sea; and there may 
the perfection of our Militia System best be seen. 



New York, with its Suburbs, comprehends more of what 
both Home and Foreign Visitors and Exhibitors would them- 
selves desire to see than any other American City. 

Its attractions to those of Philadelphia are at least 2 to 1. 

Castle Garden, with its Immigration System; Wall Street, 
with its monied millions and financial flutterings ; Broad- 
way, with its architectural splendors and bustling life ; the 
busy Bowery and other avenues devoted to trade; Fifth av- 
enue, with its palatial brown-stone mansions and costly 
equipages; the spacious Boulevards; Central Park, unri- 
valled on the Continent; West Point, where Scott, and 
Grant, and Sherman, and Sheridan, and Hancock, and other 
military celebrities learned the dread art of War; the Forts 
and Ironclads; the Navy Yard; Blackwell and Ward Islands, 
with their Hospitals and Asylums, Reformatories and Pris- 
ons; Greenwood, with its famous cemetery; old Trinity and 
its far-famed chimes; venerable St. Paul's, where George 
Washington was inaugurated first President of the United 
States; the Custom House, where stood the old Stadt House 
of nearly 200 years ago, and where the first Federal Con- 
gress held its Sessions; the Post Office on Nassau Street — 
the same building in which, over 100 years ago, was preached 
by Rev. Dr. Laidlie the first sermon in English, much to the 
astonishment of old Knickerbockers; the Hall of Records, 
which served as a British prison during the Revolution; the 
Church of St. Mark's, rising above the bones of sturdy old 
Governor Stuyvesant; Washington's Headquarters; Tarry- 
town, the scene of Major Andre's capture; the battle grounds 
of Long Island and Harlem, and others near by; the far- 
famed Astor, and Mercantile, and Apprentices, and Ameri- 
can Institute, and other great Public Libraries; the Academy 
of Arts; the Cooper Union Edifice, the princely gift of Peter 
Cooper to Science and the Arts; the Universities, Colleges, 
and other Schools of. Learning; the Public Schools; the 
great Charities; the innumerable costly Churches, giving the 
lie to those who in Foreign Lands designate our country 
by the term, "Infidel America;" the Academy of Music, 
Booth's, Wallack's, and innumerable other Theatres, Muse- 
ums, and Places of Amusement; the innumerable superb Ho- 
tels; the magnificent Bay, crowded with the steam and sailing 
vessels of war, of commerce, and of pleasure; the broad 
North and East Rivers, with hundreds of matchless ferry-boats 
and tugs and other vessels rapidly ploughing their vexed 
waters; the classical Hudson, most picturesque and romantic 
of all American rivers, flanked by charming villas and re- 



membrances of those who had been great in War and in 
Peace — where Irving and Willis and Morris and others now 
dead loved to dwell — with abodes too of Bierstadt, Fremont, 
and others of the living great; these, and hundreds of other 
objects of interest, would be eagerly sought bj both home 
and foreign visitors. Here, on the banks of this picturesque 
and historical Stream, their minds would glance backward, 
over the scroll written by three centuries, to that memorable 
September (1609) when brave Heinrich Hudson sailed his 
small bark from the Highlands of Neversink up to Albany 
and back; and here they might curiously search for, and 
determine, the precise spot where two and a half centuries 
ago bold Captain Block builded and launched and sailed the 
first American-built ship. Standing in the City Hall Park, 
the visitor might recall the facts that this was the ancient 
"Common" of " New Amsterdam," "New Orange," and 
"New York," where an enraged people assembled in the 
Pall of 1765, to resist the Stamp act and to storm the 
Fort — where, later, the first stamped instrument was burned 
with accompanying Effigies — and where, still later, the re- 
peal of the obnoxious Stamp act was jubilantly celebrated; 
and that there the famous Liberty Pole was erected in 
1766. Glancing at the Hall of Records he might re- 
member infamous British Provost-Marshal Cunningham 
and his cruelties to so-called "rebel" prisoners. Around, 
and near at hand, countless mementoes of the past would 
suggest a thousand reflections. There, in the church-yard 
of ancient Trinity lie the bones of Alexander Hamilton, of 
" Don't give up the Ship" Lawrence, of the Patriots who 
died in British Prisons; and there in St. Paul's reposes all 
that was mortal of the gallant Montgomeiw. Surrounded 
by streets of hoary antiquity — by Broadway, Park Place, 
Nassau, Maiden Lane, and others — which echoed the foot- 
steps of the earliest Knickerbockers, he might well let his 
mind wander back to the verv beonnnins:, when this ffiant 
city was born, from which time until now Liberty of Con- 
science has ever prevailed, and those persecuted for conscience 
sake, whether in our own or in Foreign lands, were always 
given Safe Asylum within its boundaries. Here, he would 
remember, what veracious history asserts, that as early as 
October, 1664 — over 200 years ago — her merchants " defied 
the power of the Government, and demanded a voice and a 
vote in the administration of public affairs; nor censed to 
lead the opposition to the Crown until the final separation of 
the Colonies from the mother country;" that "in her acquit- 






tal of John Peter Zenger in 1745 she established and main- 
tained the first Free Press, and through it did more for 
American Independence than did any other Colony previous 
to the battle of Concord;" that in 1760 and 1764 she declared 
her opposition to the Impressment of Seamen and to the Right 
of Search long before any other Colony followed; that in 1764 
she appointed the first Committee of Correspondence long be- 
fore any other Colony; that during the same year, "while all 
others of the Colonies quailed before the Parliament, admitting 
the supremacy of that body and the duty of the Colonies 'to 
yield obedience to an act of Parliament, though erroneous, 
till repealed' — New York, alone, declared that she would 
consider a violation of her rights and privileges, even by Par- 
liament, an act of Tyranny, and that she would 'hate and 
abhor' the power which might inflict it, and ' as soon as she 
became able would throw it off, or perhaps try to obtain bet- 
ter terms from some other Power; '" that "when the Stamp 
Act was enacted, in 1765, she led the column of opposition to 
it — her merchants organized the Non-importation agreement 
— and among the faithful they were the most faithful in the 
execution of its provisions;" that " the first blood which was 
shed in defense of the rights of America flowed from the 
veins of her inhabitants, on. the Golden Hill, January 18, 
1770, two months before ' the Massacre ' in King street, Bos- 
ton, and five years and three months before the affair at Lex- 
ington ; " that " she also, as well as Boston and Annapolis, 
had a ' Tea Party,' and she, as well as they, seasoned the 
waters of her harbor with the taxed tea which the cupidity 
of the East India Company and the insolence of the Govern- 
ment had attempted to thrust into her midst — differing from 
Boston only in doing fearlessly, in broad daylight, and with- 
out disguises, what the latter had done with timidity, in the 
darkness of the night, and in the guise of Mohawks;" and 
that "when hostilities had been commenced, she did not 
hesitate to take a place in the very front rank of the oppo- 
sition, or to prove by the daring of her sons, her title 
to that position, by overturning the King's authority in 
that citv, and by establishing in its stead a ' Committee of 
Gne Hundred' of her citizens, long before any similar step 
was taken by any other community in the country." As his 
eye wandered down Broadway he might recognize the spot 
near Bowling Green where stood the City Arms Tavern — 
"the cradle of American Liberty" — in which even the Patri- 
otism of Fanueil Hall was rocked in the earliest steps of its 
existence." " There," says the Historian, " the non-importa- 



iion agreement was made in 1765, and at the same time (Oc- 
tober 31) was appointed a ' Committee of Correspondence ' for 
the purpose of effecting a union of the several colonies — 
-U&til that time acting without concert in their opposition to 
the Government — and thus, having there committed the first 
overt act of Rebellion, and having at the same time laid the 
foundation of the Union of thirteen separate and discordant 
peoples, in that room, the merchants of New York had inau- 
gurated the City Arms as the headquarters of the American 
Revolution." 

Surrounded by palaces of brick and granite and marble — 
the business abodes of Municipal Legislation, of Justice, of 
a powerful Free Press, of, vast mercantile transactions — his 
mind's eye taking in the entire Island, with all its present 
architectural beaaties, its power and influence and enterprise 
and learning, its vast commerce and trade, its financial and 
monetary movements, its diversified industries and compact 
populousness, its ceaseless activity and boundless wealth, and 
contrasting all this with what it was some two centuries and 
a half ago, how wonderful the change presented to his vision ! 
Then (1626) the 22,000 acres comprising Manhattan Island 
were purchased of the Indian owners by Peter Minuit for 
$24 of our money — nearly 100 acres for one cent! — a very 
large portion of which very same land, at this day, with 
buildings and contents and capital employed, could not be 
bought for even $1,000,000 per acre — an increased value of 
more than one hundred million per cent ! 

What could better indicate and illustrate to the visitor the 
wonderful growth of our country than this? — unless, per- 
haps, the miles of stately stores which have added their busy 
lengths to famous Broadway and the still broader avenues, 
during the past Century. 

The eyes of the People turn involuntarily to New York 
as the only proper site for the World's Fair of 1876. A 
well-founded fear prevails that at Philadelphia it might 
prove a failure — perhaps a total failure — and bring the en- 
tire Nation into ridicule. They believe that at New York, 
with its numberless practical advantages, it must prove a 
success — an unexampled success. They feel, too, that the 
noble National association known as the American Insti- 
tute, ripe in years, and old in valuable experience, having 
originated the idea, should reap whatever of fame or of 
profit attaches to it — its fame that of the Nation — its profit 
that of the People. They know that if held at Philadelphia, 
were it a failure or success, that would be the end of it; while, 






8 

held at New York, it will be but the commencement of an 
infinitely nobler and grander educational project; that tbfe* 
vast and beautiful edifice of glass and iron in Central Park 
will be preserved, and converted by the Institute into a P$^ 
petual Exhibition of our National Industries, so arranged 
and classified and diversified as to make it a most valuable 
permanent Index of the Material Progress of each State 
and Territory in the Union, free as air to the peo- 
ple ; — a Palace wherein shall be shown, not only the 
multifarious products of Industry, but the wonderful 
processes by which She achieves her Triumphs — a Reposit- 
ory wherein the choicest treasures of Art and the practical 
appliances of Science shall have permanent home, and their 
votaries a generous encouragement and help — an Institute 
wherein by frequent meetings and public discussions amoug 
its Sections, and public assemblies in its Lecture Halls, the 
popular mind may become familiarized with, and acquire and 
at the same time gratify a taste for, all that is useful as well 
as beautiful in the Sciences and the Arts — in short, a great 
self-endowed University, such as perhaps never was thought 
of, and certainly never existed in any part of the World, 
whose doors shall be thrown wide open to all who would 
enter, and through which even the graduates of other Uni- 
versities may fiock to supplement a general theoretical by a 
general practical Education in all the numberless branches 
of Industrial Life. 

This is what the American Institute promises and will per- 
form — -this, and more; and this is what the American Press 
and People desire to see inaugurated by the World's Fair 
of 1876 in our Commercial Metropolis — at which will gather, 
not the crowned heads of Europe, but those who, as statesmen 
and scientists, in this and other lands, hold empire over the 
vast domain of Human Thought. 



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